The Full List Of 2025 Countrytown Awards Nominees

Founded in 2021, Countrytown is Australia’s biggest country music news outlet and home to the respected Countrytown Hot 50 Chart, delivering fans across Australia insight into their favourite artists from across the globe. The Countrytown Awards presented by Rum Co of Fiji will be the chance for the audience to have their say on their favourite Aussie artists, albums and live shows of the previous year. 

This year’s nominees are headed by Casey Barnes with 5 nods including Male Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Australian Tour and the coveted RATU Signature Entertainer of the Year award. Followed closely by Kaylee Bell, Taylor Moss, Troy Cassar-Daley and The Wolfe Brothers all receiving 4 nominations each.

Not only will your votes impact your favourite artists, but you’ll go into the draw to win a double pass to the sold-out CMC Rocks this March. 

The Countrytown Awards will host eleven awards, including International Artist of the Year as well as the big one– Entertainer of the Year for the Aussie artist who best brings together the art of performance, recorded music and career achievement. 

“The Countrytown Awards are about putting the power in the hands of the fans, creating a true census of Countrytown readers, taking the pulse of who has excelled over the previous year,” said Countrytown Content Director Megan Hopkins. 

“Australian country music has never been stronger, with so many artists breaking through domestically and having a real crack at Nashville. The Countrytown Awards are here to complement and celebrate the great work our labels, festivals, touring companies and artists have done over the last year and create a historic record of what the Australian public loved over the last year.”

The winners will be announced on the Countrytown website as well as at an exclusive lunchtime event for artists, industry and a select handful of readers to be held on March 20 in Brisbane. The only way to get there is to win tickets via Countrytown, so keep your eyes peeled for your chance to be there.

Voting for the awards is now open via countrytown.com/awards and will close on March 5.

RATU SIGNATURE ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

Brooke McClymont & Adam Eckersley

Casey Barnes

James Johnston

Kaylee Bell

Keith Urban

Lee Kernagham

Max Jackson

Taylor Moss

Troy Cassar-Daley

Wolfe Brothers

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Amber Lawrence

Kasey Chambers

Kaylee Bell

Max Jackson

Melanie Dyer

Rachael Fahim

Raechel Whitchurch

Sara Berki

Taylor Moss

Tori Forsyth

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Adam Brand

Brad Cox

Casey Barnes

James Johnston

Josh Setterfield

Lane Pittman

Lee Kernaghan

Morgan Evans

Troy Cassar-Daley

Wade Forster

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR

Brooke McClymont & Adam Eckersley

Homegrown Trio

Rhinestoned

Route 33

Seaforth

The Buckleys

The Wet Whistles

The Whitlams Black Stump Band

The Wolfe Brothers

Zac & George

SONG OF THE YEAR

Adam Brand - Gettin' There

Amy Sheppard - Small Town Rumours

Bella Mackenzie - COWBOY

Brad Cox - Everything I Got

Casey Barnes - Mayday

James Johnston - BLAME

Kaylee Bell - Cowboy Up

Lane Pittman - Amen For The Weekend

Max Jackson - Hold My Horses

Wolfe Brothers - Little By Little

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Adam Harvey - Let The Song Take You Home

Andy Golledge - Young Dumb & Wild

Casey Barnes - Mayday

Kasey Chambers - Backbone

Kaylee Bell - Nights Like This

Keith Urban - HIGH

Lily Grace - Old Enough To Know Better

Taylor Moss - Firecracker

Troy Cassar-Daley - Between The Fires

Tori Forsyth - All We Have Is Who We Are

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Abbie Ferris

Bella Mackenzie

Denvah

Dylan Wright

Homegrown Trio

Josh Setterfield

Robbie Mortimer

Tyla Rodrigues

Wade Forster

The Wet Whistles

BEST AUSTRALIAN TOUR

Brooke McClymont & Adam Eckersley - Up, Down & Sideways Tour

Casey Barnes - Mayday Album Tour

Jayne Denham - Moonshine Risk It All Tour

Lee Kernaghan - Boys From The Bush Tour

Melanie Dyer - Had To Be There Tour

Morgan Evans - Life Upside Down Tour

Taylor Moss - Firecracker Tour

Troy Cassar-Daley - Between The Fires Tour

Wade Forster - The Drifter Tour

Wolfe Brothers - Still Livin' The Dream Tour

INTERNATIONAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Cooper Alan

Dasha

Dylan Gossett

Kane Brown

Kip Moore

Lainey Wilson

MacKenzie Porter

Megan Moroney

Riley Green

Tyler Hubbard

BEST FESTIVAL

CMC Rocks

Deni Ute Muster

Flame BBQ Street Festival Jimboomba

Groundwater

Gympie Music Muster

Dashville Skyline

Meatstock Toowoomba

Ridin' Hearts

Savannah In The Round

Tamworth Country Music Festival